With Dwyane Wade away from the team for a third consecutive game following the birth of his daughter, and with Goran Dragic unable to contribute after missing the previous two games with a swollen knee, it again was youth movement or bust for the Heat.

On a night Rodney McGruder scored a career-high 22 points, closing time became closed-out time, with the Heat falling 116-110 to the Washington Wizards at AmericanAirlines Arena, their fifth loss in the last seven games.

As was the case a night earlier in the loss to the visiting Indiana Pacers, the Heat built a double-digit lead, held a fourth-quarter advantage, but ultimately wilted.

John Wall led the Wizards with 28, with backcourt partner Bradley Beal scoring 18.

"We had moments where we competed defensively and we had other moments where I didn't recognize our team," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "What we're dealing with right now is finding some level of consistency to the things that matter for us.

"For us, we have to be that hardhat, lunch pail, defensive minded team every single possession, every single quarter, every single game. When we're not, we pay the price for it."

With Dion Waiters and James Johnson still sidelined, direction seemingly has become an issue, amid the reality of Saturday's Jimmy Butler shift to the Philadelphia 76ers that there are no easy answers out there.

"Our guys' hearts are in the right place. That's the thing," Spoelstra said going in. "When you get to know this locker room, it's a very hard-working, ambitious group.

"We just have to direct that ambition collectively in a way where everybody's helping each other. We'll get there."

1. Dragic back: Dragic was back after missing the previous two games with a sore right knee and three of the previous four games when counting last Saturday's absence in the loss to the Atlanta Hawks with a sore foot.

Wearing a protective sleeve on his right leg, Dragic appeared tentative, going 0 for 4 with three turnovers in the first half.

Dragic was forced to the bench with his fourth foul with 6:08 to play in the third quarter, scoreless to that stage on 0-for-7 shooting. He did not return, playing 21 scoreless minutes.

"It was nothing. I just missed shots," Dragic said. "It was just an off night. All of those shots I took were good shots. I watched on tape. A couple of them just rimmed out. The ball just didn’t want to go in."

With Dragic off, it again raised the question of a team operating one player shy of the 15-man roster limit not carrying a spare true point guard -- at least until the roster again is whole.

Justise Winslow ran the Heat offense when Dragic was on the bench.

2. Rodney revelation: McGruder continues as a revelation, both with his 3-point shooting and attacking play in transition.

3. Caught in the slop: A night after the Heat committed a season-high 24 turnovers in Friday night's loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Heat were up to 11 by halftime, which fueled 17 of the Wizards' 58 first-half points, allowing them to stand within three at the break after trailing by 12 earlier in the first half.

This is not exactly a margin-for-error team. Lately, those errors have prevented the Heat from extending early leads. The Heat closed with 19.

"Today, there were some that I have never even seen before," Spoelstra said. "That’s what is starting to become a little bit concerning. I don't want this to become the trademark of our team. From the beginning of training camp, there were the type of turnovers that, I wouldn't necessarily say acceptable, but they are in our wheelhouse of our identity of being aggressive, attacking.

"There were some tonight that were a little bit perplexing."

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4. Ellington matters: Ellington again contributed from the 3-point line off the bench, converting four of his nine attempts, and showed how he matters in today's higher-scoring NBA.

"We don’t have guys in this locker room that are going to give up in any way, shape or form," Ellington said. "We are going to fight and put the work in until we figure it out and we get better."

It will be interesting in the Heat's backcourt once Wade returns from his personal leave and then eventually when Waiters returns.

The initial thought was Tyler Johnson could be the player losing minutes, but Johnson continues to regain his footing, this time with 12 first-half points, providing a 3-point threat to complement to Ellington off the bench. Johnson, however, did not score in the second half.

5. Passing fancy: Whiteside had three first-half assists, a season high and one shy of his career single-game high, closing with that total. It was the second time in three games he had multiple-assist outings.

Whiteside, though, struggled on his box outs against Dwight Howard, allowing the Wizards big man to gain a foothold in the game after an uneven start. Howard finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

Whiteside completed his eighth double-double before the end of the third quarter (with rebounds, not assists).